STANFORD -- Two weeks from the season opener, Stanford's tailback situation remains as muddled as it was when spring practice began six months ago.

A two-hour scrimmage Saturday morning did nothing to provide clarity. The Cardinal's final public workout of training camp was dominated by the starting defense, which stopped the No. 1 offense on the goal line and repeatedly smothered the tailbacks.

Of Stanford's 30 running plays, 21 gained 3 or fewer yards.

Kelsey Young, considered the ever-so-slight front-runner to replace Tyler Gaffney, was held out of the scrimmage because of a minor ankle injury. (He is expected back this week.)

Remound Wright, the most experienced tailback, missed the festivities because of a suspension. (He, too, is expected back this week.)

Barry Sanders and Ricky Seale were effective in spurts, but neither showed the consistency needed to shake up the depth chart.

"It's just how it is," coach David Shaw said. "We've got a group of guys who can all play. If we can get them to share time, and every time they touch the ball they do something special ... hopefully that will happen, and we'll get a lot of guys playing at a high level."

The stasis has created an opportunity for freshman Christian McCaffrey.

The son of former Stanford and NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey is one of the few rookies in contention for playing time this fall. He could be used periodically in the running game and regularly on special teams.

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"I came in wanting to work my butt off," said McCaffrey, a 197-pounder from Castle Rock, Colorado.

"Sure, you want to play, but that wasn't my focus. I wanted to see what I could do and work as hard as I can."

Shaw said he needed to review video of the scrimmage to determine if the competitive imbalance was caused by stellar defensive play or missed opportunities offensively.

His suspicion was that the defense stood tall.

"I feel great about where we are," he said. "The guys have taken it upon themselves to make sure there's no drop-off" from last year.

Inside linebacker Blake Martinez appears to be the front-runner to replace Shayne Skov. Joe Hemschoot, Noor Davis and Kevin Palma are the other candidates.

Kyle Olugbode, a former walk-on from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, has a slight edge at safety over Kodi Whitfield, according to Shaw.

Few players have improved more since the end of last season than defensive lineman Aziz Shittu. The 275-pound junior can play end or nose tackle, giving Stanford needed versatility within a thin unit.

"Last year, we were expecting a big jump, and he was close," Shaw said. "This spring, he realized his potential. He knows how good he could be, and he's put in the work."

Starting right tackle Kyle Murphy did not participate in the scrimmage because of a minor shoulder injury. Cornerback Alex Carter missed the scrimmage because of a summer school exam, and receiver Francis Owusu arrived late for the same reason.